Towing with PG trans?

[Greybeard]

Has anyone seen any owners manuals mentioning anything about towing a car equiped with a powerglide?

[caraholic4life]

Yeah......Just put it in Park and be on your way.

Seriously though I have seen nothing regarding towing a Powerglide car.
The only interesting thing I recall is that a Powerglide car can be "Jump Started" by getting it up to about 20 -25 MPH and with the key turned on, drop it into gear. I remember my Dad doing this in his Monza wagon when I was a kid.

[terribleted]

DO NOT flat tow an automatic Corvair. The transmission front pump will be powered by the rear wheel s turning on the ground and can overheat and ruin the transmission. Corvair automatic can be flat towed in theory with teh engine running (therefore providing cooling for the trans) but this is a dicey proposition as well. Tow automatic Corvairs with the rear end on a tow dolly or on top of a trailer or flatbed wrecker.

[65Ragtop]

When I finally found the Corvair I wanted to restore, it was located about 500 miles away. I did a lot of research on this topic as I needed to figure out how I was going to get the car home.

Here is some info I found out and some conclusions I came to.

Trailer the car if you can. I ended up doing this because I knew little about the car, it was a manual trans. and the tires were new in 1972 and probably would have shredded a few miles into the journey. The trailer ended up costing me about $50 more but was well worth it in the long run. Do it this way if you can.

The shop manual states that you can tow on a dolly or flat tow in an emergency situation (manual or Auto) if you keep it under 50 mph. I took it to imply that meant for short distance. It recommends towing in a forward facing position as the Toe and Camber is all wrong for towing backwards. If you must tow with the rear wheels on a dolly, keep it under 45 mph (ie. stay off the freeway) and secure the steering in the straight position according to the same manual. Many have noted experiencing dangerous, difficult to control oscillations when towing with the rear wheels on a dolly at speeds over 40 which could end up as a very bad experience. Basically, towing a PG or manual car up to 50 miles across town at low speed is OK and will not cause any damage to the trans. Many other sources concur with this assessment for short distance towing. The 50/50 rule seems to be a good number to work with here for the power glide. 50 miles at 50 mph or less is fine. 50 miles at 35 mph for the manual transmission as there are lube issues with the standards.

Important things to note when towing long or short distances include: Fluid level, it must be checked and topped off before you get started. Trans condition must be good. If it is an unknown, or known to be in need of work, trailer it. If it is known to be in good condition, it is OK to tow. Tires must be in good shape, a blow out on a car that is being towed can ruin your day.

Towing a Powerglide car long distances can be done if you pay attention to heat buildup in the transmission. The Powerglide transmission has 2 pumps in it, front and rear. The rear pump is operational when the car is being towed and will lube the trans just fine. The problem arises when heat begins to build up. The fluid is cooled by the air cooled torque converter which does not spin unless the engine is running (and thus no cooling effect). This is why some have recommended towing with the motor running. I personnally don't like that idea, but to each his own.

If you stick with the 50/50 rule and pull over and run the engine for a few minutes every time you stop to cool the fluid, you can tow for longer distances with no problem. Touch the oil pan and pull the dipstick to see if it is excessively hot. It should be warm but not HOT. While running, shift the trans a few times to disperse fluid. This will require patience on your part, but it can be done. Many have reported towing long distances with no problems using this method for the PG. I wouldn't tow a standard trans car for more than 50 miles if I could avoid it.

Always tow a PG or standard car in NEUTRAL.

[Scott H]

Hey nice truck.
I did flat tow this PG car, but only because I did not have access to a flat bed.

[65Ragtop]

Right back at ya, Scott! We call her the "Big Rig" when we need to "get er done"! (like pulling stumps or dragging old corvairs home).

[UNSAFE]

>>>>>Has anyone seen any owners manuals mentioning anything about towing a car equiped with a powerglide?<<<

From the 1965 owners manual .

[cvair4life]

Would it be best to disconnect the CV 1/2 shafts before towing? I'm going to pick up the Spyder in Reno in a few weeks and thinking about using a tow dolly... it's ~600 miles one way.

[Brent]

There will be no problem flat towing a Powerglide any distance in neutral at reasonable speeds (lets say up to 60mph or so) if the transmission is in good working condition and you keep an eye on it. Heat is not an issue. The rear pump will pressurize the transmision and lubricate it, however it will also fill the converter and pressurize any leak areas (converter seal etc.) A leak in the converter seal or elsewhere will eventually drain some fluid over long distances so monitor the fluid level and keep an eye on the back of the car for oil spots. If a gear range is selected accidentally the engine will be turned, be sure you're in neutral and havent got anything packed in the car that could shift in motion and bump the selector lever into a drive range.

Temperature can be easily monitored by feeling the bottom of the transmission pan with the palm of your hand, although even the dipstick will give some iodea of temperature.

Biggest issue flat towing is of course rear wheel bearings, if they fail you really will have a problem- if you're planning on taking a car any distance/speed make sure they have been serviced and are known to be good, the wheel can come right off the car if they fail sometimes which is very difficult to deal with.

Most newer cars do not have the axle driven rear pump of the Corvair Powerglide and cannot be towed very far as they have no lubrication, this is not an issue for Corvair.

Hope thats some reassurance,
Brent

[Gregory_Miller]

Can't remove the half shafts on Earlies, they are an integral part of the suspension, I believe... Others with Earlies can chime in if I'm wrong. LM guy myself.
EDIT: I don't know if you want to tow an early or a late. Still not sure you'd want to remove half shafts even on a late to tow...